US elections: classic campaign ads

The current US presidential campaign is getting nastier by the minute, largely as a result of John McCain’s desperation. He has been reported as being behind by double digits nationwide and also lagging in some key states. His camp have flirted with linking Barack Obama to a radical soialist who committed bombings in the 1970s but haven’t made much of it. This reminded me of the 1988 campaign when George Bush Sr launched an attack ad on his Democrat opponent, Michael Dukakis.

The so called Willie Horton incident is said to have played a pivotal role in securing victory for the Republican.

The ad attacked Dukakis on a number of angles that he had no control over as state governor. But for voters it didn’t matter, as Dukakis didn’t make an effective fightback and he was tarred with being soft on crime.

See the ad here.